The Characters of Mansfield Park

Lady Bertram

“About thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seven thousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park, in the county of Northampton” and by her marriage she became Lady Bertram. Her gain in rank brought happiness to her uncle and a new position in society to her two unmarried sisters who hoped by her connection to marry well themselves. But their plans do not work out so well has they would have liked. Miss Ward in the fright of becoming an old maid marries Rev. Mr. Norris, a clergyman with scarcely any private fortune but the living that Sir Thomas could give them. And Lady Bertram’s younger sister Miss Frances marries Mr. Price, a Lieutenant in the Navy without manners or fortune, to disoblige her family. An absolute breech between Frances and her sisters takes place for eleven years till she writes to Lady Bertram soliciting the help of her rich relations to assist in the upbringing of her eight children. Lady Bertram has a soft heart and desires to assist her sister in anyway but can only fix on sending her money and baby-lines.

Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram have two sons and two daughters and is a kind mother but not a very influential and leaves the care of her daughters up to others.” To the education of her daughters Lady Bertram paid not the smallest attention. She had not time for such cares. She was a woman who spent her days in sitting, nicely dressed, on a sofa, doing some long piece of needlework, of little use and no beauty, thinking more of her pug than her children, but very indulgent to the latter when it did not put herself to inconvenience, guided in everything important by Sir Thomas, and in smaller concerns by her sister. Had she possessed greater leisure for the service of her girls, she would probably have supposed it unnecessary, for they were under the care of a governess, with proper masters, and could want nothing more.”

Sir Thomas Bertram

Lady Bertram’s husband is a baronet with a large property, with gentlemanlike manners and a good strong mind and good business sense. As a father he has more influence with his children than their mother but “though a truly anxious father, he was not outwardly affectionate, and the reserve of his manner repressed all the flow of their spirits before him.”

He does his duty by his family and relations and tries to help his wife’s sisters in anyway he can. When applied to by Mrs. Norris with the idea of taking in one of Mrs. Price’s children, the oldest girl just nine years old, after debating and hesitating is finally persuaded that Fanny Price should come to Mansfield but only on the understanding that she is not a Miss Bertram and that there must be a distinction between her and his daughters without unkind.

Mrs. Norris

Lady Bertram’s sister who lives at Mansfield parsonage with her husband Mr. Norris and delights in gossip and directing other people's affairs especially those of her sister and brothers-in-laws, their household and children. “Mrs. Norris assisted to form her nieces' minds; and it is not very wonderful that, with all their promising talents and early information, they should be entirely deficient in the less common acquirements of self–knowledge, generosity and humility. In everything but disposition they were admirably taught.”

When little Fanny Price comes to Mansfield Park it is her aunt Norris who meets her and promptly gives her a lecture on how grateful she should be to such a benefactor as her aunt and uncle Bertram and how she must behave in their presence.

Mrs. Norris does not wish to be at any expense in sponsoring the child, even though it was her dearest wish to have Fanny come to Mansfield, but she does reserve the right to boss her around, send her to and fro and tell her what a wicked child she is when she doesn't comply with the wishes of her cousins however wicked their wishes are!

Rev. Mr. Norris

Mrs. Norris's husband and friend of Sir Thomas Bertram's who holds the living of Mansfield parish. “The first event of any importance in the family was the death of Mr. Norris, which happened when Fanny was about fifteen, and necessarily introduced alterations and novelties. Mrs. Norris, on quitting the Parsonage, removed first to the Park, and afterwards to a small house of Sir Thomas’s in the village, and consoled herself for the loss of her husband by considering that she could do very well without him; and for her reduction of income by the evident necessity of stricter economy.”

No one grieved very much for him, indeed Sir Thomas was grieved more by the fact that he had not died two years earlier! ”The living was hereafter for Edmund; and, had his uncle died a few years sooner, it would have been duly given to some friend to hold till he were old enough for orders. But Tom's extravagance had, previous to that event, been so great as to render a different disposal of the next presentation necessary, and the younger brother must help to pay for the pleasures of the elder.”

Tom Bertram

Mr. Tom Bertram is the eldest son of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram and on the death of his uncle will inherit Mansfield Park and all of his father’s money. The money however seems to becoming less and less which is due, partly to Sir Thomas’s Antigua investments but, chiefly to the extravagance of Tom himself.

Sir Thomas accordingly has a little talk with his eldest son: “’I blush for you, Tom… You have robbed Edmund for ten, twenty, thirty years, perhaps for life, of more than half the income which ought to be his.’ Tom listened with some shame and some sorrow; but escaping as quickly as possible, could soon with cheerful selfishness reflect, firstly, that he had not been half so much in debt as some of his friends; secondly, that his father had made a most tiresome piece of work of it; and, thirdly, that the future incumbent, whoever he might be, would, in all probability, die very soon.”

But beyond all his faults Tom is general very gentlemanlike with pleasing manners, loves his mother and sisters, and is very kind to his little cousin Fanny.

He is a rather desirable catch if his faults of drinking and gambling can be got over, hopefully they will or there may be consequences he must endure beyond simple lectures from his father.

Edmund Bertram

Maria Bertram

Julia Bertram

Fanny Price

Dr. Grant

Mrs. Grant

Mr. Rushworth

Elder Mrs. Rushworth

Mary Crawford

Henry Crawford

Mr. Yates

William Price

Mrs. Price

Mr. Price

Susan Price

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